Search

Despite my slight boast of being a better baker than any I have come across (literally only the coffee shops on the West End), baking here is a bit of a challenge for me. First off, everything is in metric measurements. I don’t know what 2 cups or 8 oz converts to in grams off the top of my head, so purchases have become difficult. I always have to remember to use my handy converter before I leave the flat. People here also use weights rather than cups and teaspoons, so figuring out why I couldn’t find measuring spoons was baffling initially. In addition, my oven has had all the numbers indicating temperature scrubbed off, making how hot I’ve sent the oven something of a guessing game (one that is not fun mind you when your toll house cookies, a difficult thing to mess up, come out gooey because your oven wasn’t hot enough). Because I’m a student, my means for acquiring baking implements is, well, limited. I have yet to break down and buy the electric mixer, the blender, the cake trays, the second baking tray, etc, etc that I would really like to have in order to have the baking reputation I would like to carry amongst my friends. That said, I’m going to buy a pie tin here pretty soon so that I can make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving! Hopefully I can find canned pumpkin since I don’t have the appropriate mixers to make the puree from a real pumpkin smooth. The internet tells me that there is a store quite close to me that may occasionally carry it, but I’m mildly skeptical.

I’m pretty excited about my adventures in baking that are up and coming, even if they have the potential to be less than anticipated! If all else fails, Matthew will still tells me he likes it (because he likes me).